Cushion for hand-stamps, inking-pads, &amp;c.



Patented 0st, 9,1900.

\ J. LUEFFLER. CUSHION FOR HAND STAMPS, INKING PADS, &.c.

(Application iled Dec. 22| 1899.`|

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.JOHN LOEFFLER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES CANTWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 659,242, dai-,ed October 9, 1900. Application tiled December 22| 1899. Serial No. 741,324. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LOEFFLER, a citizen of the United-States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushions for Hand-Stamps, Inking-Pads, and the Like, of which the following is a speci` i'ication.

This invention relates to printing hand- Io stamps, and particularly to rubber-cushion hand-stamps.

The object of the invention is to provide a cushion for printing hand-stamps of such novel and peculiar construction that a perfeet imprint is obtained without undue pressure and resiliency, that. the type-plate will be pressed not more upon one edge than another, that the resiliency will be uniform throughout, and that should one edge of the zo typeplate contact tlrst the contact of the whole plate will at once follow from the slight pressure applied to the cushion without causing the latter to sway or jump and without blurring the print.

Cushions have been made with vertical ribs in various forms to produce square and other-shaped cells, all of which ribs extend uninterruptedly from the stamp-block to the type-plate, and the vertical resistance of these 3o ribs is overcome by bending or buckling them. Other cushions have been formed by perforating a solid block of rubber, so that certain of the perforations are positioned at points between the other perforations. This form 3 5 of cushion has a solid mass of rubber intervening between the perforations. It has recently been proposed to form a cushion of a series of polygonal tubes, having their adjacent sides joined by a body of rubber, the

4o latter having angular spaces at the top and bottom. The resistance to vertical pressure in this form of cushion is so great that the block is swayed to one side or the other in making an impression, and its jumping rebound necessarily follows.

My invention is intended to obviate such objections, to overcome such disadvantages, and to provide a cushion of such sensitive resiliency that a perfect imprint is made by 5o a very light pressure, but which is capable of receiving the usual strong pressure with the same result without jumping, thus avoiding the jar to the hand, to the cushion, to the type, and to the matter being stamped.

The invention consists in the novel construct-ion, and resides, essentially, in a cushion having a series of ribs provided with ilexible or elastic vanes or webs lying between the `top and bottom of the cushion and connecting the ribs laterally. 6o

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, Figure l is a per- .spective View of a hand-stamp embodying my invention. or fr, Fig. l. Fig. l.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y, 65 Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevationof the cushion when under light pressure to make an imprint. Fig. 5 is a similar view when `the cushion is under heavy or strong pressure. Fig. 6 shows a modification of the 7o cushion. Fig. '7 is a further modification of the cushion. Fig. 8 is a still further modification.

The same nulneral references denote the same parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The block or body l of the hand-stamp has the usual handle 2, and the top 3 of the cushion is cemented or otherwise suitably secured to the block, as usual, and the bottom 8o 4 of the cushion is adapted to carry the typeplate, or the latter maybe dispensed with and the type madeon the said bottom of the cushion. From the top 3 depends in pairs a series of ribs 6, so as to leave an interval 7 85 between theribs of each pair and a space 8 of greater area than said interval between each pair of ribs. Projecting up from the bottom 4 of the cushion and out of the vertical plane of the ribs 6 is aseries of pairs of 9o ribs 9, with an interval l0 between the ribs of each pair and a space ll of greater area than said interval between each pair of ribs. The top ribs 6 terminate in the bottom spaces l1, while the bottom ribs terminate in the top spaces 8, thus leaving the terminals of all the ribs in the same horizontal plane. The terminals of the top ribs and of the bottom ribs are connected together by lateral elastic or e'Xible vanes, webs, or wings l2-that is, roo

one rib of each top pair is connected to the adjacent rib of each bottom pair, leaving a series of T-shaped openings alternated by a series of inverted-T-shaped openings.

Referring to the modification shown in Fig. 6, the top ribs 13 are wedge-shaped or increase in thickness from the lateral wings 14c to the top of the cushion, and the bottom ribs 15 increase in thickness from said wings to the bottom of the cushion in wedge shape.

The modification shown by Fig. 7 consists of a top plate 16, having depending V-shaped ribs 17, a bottom plate 18, having upwardlyprojecting V-shaped ribs 19, alternating with the top ribs, and a continuous web 20, connecting the points of the top and bottom ribs together.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 the top and bottom plates have curved or semicircular portions 2l and 22, respectively, between the ribs 23 and 24, and the ribs are connected by flexible lateral wings 25. In all of the forms herein described the rib terminals or points under gentle or light pressure to make an imprint are pressed into the spaces opposite them, and under strong or heavy pressure said terminals or points curl over in accordance with the pressure applied, so that in either case the exibility or elasticity of the cushion is maintained.

Although I have shown and described my cushion in connection with a hand-stamp, it may just as well be used in inking-pads and for other purposes. Its various applications are many, and I do not confine myself in this respect.

The ribs may be varied from the several forms herein shown, the openings may be different, and the size and material be such as is best suited without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cushion composed of a series of connect-ed ribs projectingr toward and out of the vertical plane of each other, and having intervals and spaces of ldifferent size between the ribs.

2. A cushion composed of a series of connected resilient ribs having an interval between them, and a space vertically opposite the interval into which the ribs are curled under pressure.

3. A cushion composed of two sets of ribs extending toward each other with an interval and a space between the ribs of each set, and vanes or Webs to connect the two sets laterally and to make the intervals and spaces of one set continuous with the spaces and iutervals of the other set.

11. A cushion composed of rubber having a series of T-shaped openings separated by a series of inverted-T-shaped openings.

5. A cushion comprising top and bottom plates, pairs of ribs projecting from each `plate and terminating in the same horizonltal plane but out of the vertical plane of veach other, and elastic vanes or webs parallel with the said plates and connecting the top pairs of ribs with the bottom pairs of ribs.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN LOE FFLER.

Witnesses:

J. Ross CoLHoUN, C. T. BELT. 

